Israel Makes Goodwill Gesture to Abbas
29 prisoners released from Israeli jails cross into Gaza
2 October 2007
Gaza – Ma'an – The 29 prisoners from the Gaza Strip who were due to be released yesterday along with 57 others from the West Bank are finally free.
They were taken to the Erez Crossing between Israel and the Gaza Strip in an armoured bus from Ketziot prison in southern Israel and then crossed on foot into the Gaza Strip.
Israeli forces had been firing heavily on the area surrounding the Erez crossing in the northern Gaza Strip, which prevented many families from going to the crossing to receive their loved ones, eyewitnesses told Ma'an's reporter.
A Reuters photojournalist, Mohammad Jad Allah, was shot in the foot as Israeli soldiers opened fire near the prisoners' families.
Yesterday the families' long wait ended in disappointment when they were told that Israeli President, Shimon Peres had refused to sign the necessary documents for the prisoners' release. However he suddenly signed the document on Monday evening without any explanation.
Most of the 87 freed prisoners are from the Fatah bloc, with a very small number from the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine.
The release of the prisoners is a good will gesture to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas before his meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert. The two leaders are expected to try to narrow the gap between both sides prior to the US-sponsored autumn peace conference.
Gaza – Ma'an – The 29 prisoners from the Gaza Strip who were due to be released yesterday along with 57 others from the West Bank are finally free.
They were taken to the Erez Crossing between Israel and the Gaza Strip in an armoured bus from Ketziot prison in southern Israel and then crossed on foot into the Gaza Strip.
Israeli forces had been firing heavily on the area surrounding the Erez crossing in the northern Gaza Strip, which prevented many families from going to the crossing to receive their loved ones, eyewitnesses told Ma'an's reporter.
A Reuters photojournalist, Mohammad Jad Allah, was shot in the foot as Israeli soldiers opened fire near the prisoners' families.
Yesterday the families' long wait ended in disappointment when they were told that Israeli President, Shimon Peres had refused to sign the necessary documents for the prisoners' release. However he suddenly signed the document on Monday evening without any explanation.
Most of the 87 freed prisoners are from the Fatah bloc, with a very small number from the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine.
The release of the prisoners is a good will gesture to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas before his meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert. The two leaders are expected to try to narrow the gap between both sides prior to the US-sponsored autumn peace conference.
posted by HRM Deborah of Israel and the Messenger of Peace at 5:02 PM
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